Ecolight Flashlight

Benefits

Among the principal advantages of the Ecolight®, it boasts a very fast recharge and a very low cost to recharge (i.e., for 50 recharges the cost will be only 2 - 3 cents with the AC or car charger, based on an electricity cost of .15 per kilowatt hour), it is light-weight (“super caps” are approximately only 1/3 the weight of batteries for the same volume), and no batteries or bulbs are ever needed, it contains no toxic components; everything in the Ecolight® is RoHS-compliant. The Ecolight® may be the first truly ”life-time flashlight,” representing a whole new class or generation of consumer electronics devices.

1. Supercapacitors (also called “ultracapacitors”) – replace traditional batteries.

They store electric charge without involving the chemical reaction of a traditional battery (the charge is absorbed on the surface of activated carbon and then released when a load is applied).
Made of 100% non-toxic materials – primarily activated carbon (www.wikip.org/Activated_carbon).
Surpasses RoHS regulations (the strict European-mandated standards for Restriction of Hazardous Substances).
Can be recharged approx. 30,000 times or more (this is based on the manufacturers testing showing charge cycles = 10,000 to 50,000 cycles (VinaTech) with a charge/discharge efficiency of 90-95% (batteries are 70-85% charge/discharge efficiency).
Can be recharged very quickly (4 minutes with the AC or car charger).
Estimated longevity of well over 20-year working life based upon on of the world’s leading experts in supercapacitor technology (Dr. John Miller).
Weights only about 1/3 that of traditional batteries.
Pays for itself over the years. Over time, it can be expected to actually save you money based on the avoided cost of many cumulative purchases of batteries over the expected lifetime of the flashlight. In short, depending on one's usage habits, the Ecolight® can actually “pay for itself” in time.
Operates very reliably across the spectrum of temperature extremes, unlike the case of batteries.
It's always charging itself. Even though power storage over time is less than that of rechargeable batteries; 30 - 40 days after a full charge energy storage will drop off by about 50%; however, its solar panel was designed to keep it fully charged by placing where it will get sufficient light.
We use a special kind of supercapacitor with a higher energy density than typical supercapacitors, one that is a bit less expensive. A typical supercapacitor can be recharged 1 - 2 million times; in comparison, the Ecolight®'s supercapacitor is limited to 20,000 to 40,000 charge cycles.
Supercapacitors resolve substantially all battery problems related to limited number of charges, toxicity, longevity, poor performance at low temperatures, and slow charging time.

2. The 1-Watt ”high brightness LED – is far superior to the conventional light bulb.

Uses 10% of the energy of conventional light bulbs while producing the same amount of light.
Lasts some 50,000 hours of ON time.
Very rugged – it’s actually a challenge to destroy one.
Made from 100% non-toxic components.
We use a high-brightness, 1-Watt LED which is quite bright (approximately 50 lumens), more so than many standard two D-cell flashlights (as well as the 2-D cell Maglite flashlight).

3. Solar Panel – charges the supercapacitor in just 60 - 70 minutes of direct solar exposure.

Rated to last 20 years (if in the sun all day every day) - it is a high efficiency mono-crystalline solar panel.
Will also charge in a well-lit room, but more slowly than it does in direct light.
No other charging source is needed to keep it charged.
Recharge in the sun is relatively fast – taking 60 to 70 minutes, whereas most solar charged products need 3 to 6 hours or more to recharge.
Output = 5.5 volts and 65 milliamps (.36 Watts) in full sun.
The solar panel is recessed slightly in the case for additional protection and is coated with epoxy to offer maximum durability.

4. RoHS-compliant (Restriction of Hazardous Substances, meaning that no batteries are entering the waste stream, and no lead in the product's circuitry. Ecolight® is one of the most environmentally friendly electronic devices available).

All components in the ecolight are RoHS compliant - this directive (took effect in 2006 in the EU) restricts the use of six hazardous materials in the manufacture of various types of electronic and electrical equipment. RoHS restricts the following materials - lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, polybrominated biphenyl (PBB) and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants are banned. The maximum permitted concentrations are 0.1% or 1000 ppm (except for cadmium, which is limited to 0.01% or 100 ppm) by weight of homogeneous material. This means that the limits do not apply to the weight of the finished product, or even to a component, but to any single substance that could (theoretically) be separated mechanically—for example, the sheath on a cable or the tinning on a component lead. Everything that can be identified as a homogeneous material must meet the limit. Note that batteries are not included within the scope of RoHS, but there are no batteries used in the Ecolight in the first place.
About 40% of the heavy metals, including lead, mercury and cadmium, in landfills come from electronic equipment discards.
About 40% of the heavy metals, including lead, mercury and cadmium, in landfills come from electronic equipment discards (http://www.secondlifecomputer.com/environment.php)

5. Charging - 4 minutes with charge cord to computer USB port, or car charger's USB port.

The annual cost for recharging the Ecolight per year is about 1 cent (based on 25 charges per year with AC charger with cost of electricity at .12/KWH), or free for a solar-charging.
Can be recharged approximately 30,000 times; meaning that if you charged this flashlight every day, theoretically, you could well it expect to get about 80 years worth of recharging.
Fast recharging – the AC or car charger will charge it in only about 4 minutes.
On a full charge, the run time on the High setting is approx. 45 minutes and on Low approx. 3.5 - 4 hours.
The solar panel acts as a trickle charger when the Ecolight® is not in use. So, if it is situated in a place where it will stand to receive at least a little light, it could be expected to maintain a full charge.
Use the AC charge cord plugged into a computer USB port, or the car charger we sell, or any other charger with a USB port (iPhone, iPod and cell phone chargers) for quick charging. We sell car charges on this site (order page).

6. A new, improved ergonomic switch with High and Low settings; as well as an ergonomic handle design.

Innovative switch design empowers the user to rely only on “forward” movement of the thumb – making it far easier, a more comfortable one the thumb can make from that holding position.
Most people will find using the High setting for general uses is best, but if you need a longer duration of light, the Low setting still produces adequate light for 3.5 - 4 hours before any recharging is needed.
The ergonomic handle design fits quite comfortably in your hand, with your thumb setting right at the switch actuator comfortably just adjacent to the thumb; the back end of the flashlight design was flared out to prevent it from slipping free from your hand.
Lanyard strap is included for your light's protection, comfort, and convenience.
The foot on the front of the Ecolight® was designed for resting it on a horizontal surface. Alternatively, it can be set vertically on its front end.

The Hard facts about Batteries
7. Toxicity of Batteries.

About 88% of the mercury (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury) and 50% of the Cadmium (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadmium) leached from landfills can be traced to discarded batteries (http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/batteries.php). These chemicals have the potential to leach from batteries and contaminate soil, groundwater, surface water and the ocean. These chemicals are extremely toxic to humans.
Almost all rechargeable batteries also contain highly toxic chemicals, and all rechargeable batteries are known for their limited charge durations--ranging from only about 100 to 1,000 cycles. Many electronic devices with rechargeable batteries do not allow for easy removal or replacement of the batteries - so the batteries get disposed of in the garbage along with the product.
The average person owns about two button batteries, ten normal (A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, etc.) batteries, and throws out about eight household batteries per year. About three billion batteries are sold annually in the U.S. averaging about 32 per family or ten per person. A battery is an electrochemical device with the ability to convert chemical energy to electrical energy to provide power to electronic devices. Batteries contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium, and nickel, which can contaminate the environment when batteries are improperly disposed of. When incinerated, certain metals might be released into the air or can concentrate in the ash produced by the combustion process. (http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/batteries.php)
Controversy exists about reclaiming household batteries. Currently, most batteries collected through household battery collection programs are disposed of in hazardous waste landfills. Even stores and chains that have established take-back programs admit that it often ends up in the trash. There are no known recycling facilities in the U.S. that can practically and cost-effectively reclaim all types of household batteries, although facilities exist that reclaim some button batteries. Battery collection programs typically target button and nickel-cadmium batteries, but may collect all household batteries because of the consumers' difficulty in identifying battery types. This may change now that California has mandated recycling for "dry cell" batteries. (http://www.ehso.com/ehshome/batteries.php)

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